Since their release, anytime anyone has named '“Mulan”, “Hercules”, and “Peter Pan”, our minds often go to the Disney versions of these characters. We think of Mulan’s crazy sidekick Mushu, we think of Hercules with Megara, and we think of Peter with Tink flying through London. Disney became such a spectacle as soon as Snow White was released, that whenever they retold a story, that was the story that stuck. And majority of the time the retelling of stories were the most successful in comparison to Disney original stories. Today we’ll talk about the real origins behind the 1998 film, Mulan.

Who is Mulan?

Contrary to popular belief, Mulan isn’t based on a real person in ancient Chinese history named Mulan. The earliest known origins of the story come from China from around 386-581 AD, a poem called “The Ballad of Mulan”. There’s been no evidence that the story is based on the exact events of a singular person, but it could be that the creator of the story took inspiration from several real people at the time. It was a folk ballad that was told through many generations, mostly in plays, with many different adjustments made based on the time periods they were told in. The ending with Mulan’s fate was changed multiple times, and adding a love interest for her was also something that changed the original story.

Still a Hero

“The Ballad of Mulan” tells the foundation of the story we know today, being that Hua Mulan is a girl who goes to fight in the war to take her father’s place, she pretends to be a man, is successful in the military and brings gifts home from the emperor that he gives to the whole army, and at the end she reveals she is a woman to the other soldiers who had no idea the entire time. Hua Mulan has a sister and a younger brother who is too young to enlist for his father.

Disney’s Retelling

The differences in the 1998 Disney story are that the main antagonists are the Huns, who is a real group of warriors who terrorized Europe and China through the 3rd and 5th centuries. However, “The Ballad of Mulan” is rather about the tension between the Northern and Southern dynasties and her loyalty to the Northern Wei.

Li Shang was a real person who lived in the 2nd century BC, who was “a general and minister of the very early Western Han dynasty”. Li Shang is not a part of the original story of Mulan, and will not be featured in the live-action remake for the reason that his intentions in the story are “concerning” to some audiences, since he was her captain but also her love interest. Mushu also was not a real character in the original story.

Image from: https://sistersanddisney.com/blog/2018/4/16/dose-of-disney-men-li-shang

Mulan in her original story doesn’t delve deep into her personal life, about her worries of being the “perfect daughter” and any mention of romantic relationships at all, but more so focuses on her time in the army. She actually spent 12 years in the army despite what the movie shows, and she develops incredible martial art and military skills.

Finally, Mulan’s identity was not revealed the same in both stories. In the movie, it is revealed by accident when she endures an injury and Li Shang sees her in bandages. In the ballad, she stays in disguise the entire time and is not questioned, and willingly decides to show the other soldiers her real identity.

With the live-action coming to Disney+ on September 4th, it’s important to remember that this adaptation is much like the hundreds that have occurred over centuries, and that it won’t mimic everything from the 1998 film. Li Shang and Mushu won’t be featured, in order to focus more on Mulan’s heroic events and stay true to the original ballad.